Car-coupling.



No. 801,868. PATENTED OCT. 17,1905.

G. A. HERMANSON.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1'1, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT onion.

GUSTAF A. HERMANSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES MUNTON, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1905.

Application filed April 1'7, 1905. Serial No. 255,915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAF A. HERMANsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplers, of which the follow-ing is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic car-couplers for railway-cars.

The object of my invention is to provide a car-coupler of a simple, eflicient, and durable construction in which the lock may be set in position for coupling or uncoupling the cars and in which the knuckle may be automatically thrown open when the lock is raised to the required position and the cars separate.

My invention consists in the means I employ to practically accomplish this object or result, as herein shown and describedthat is to say, it consists, in connection with the forked draw-head, of a knuckle pivoted thereto and having a tail furnished with a supplemental or safety hook to engage a hook projection or shoulder on the draw-head, a vertically-movable locking-pin having at its lower end a lock-set leg furnished with a lockset projection adapted to engage the bottom web or floor of the draw-head and hold the locking-pin in its lock-set position, and a kn uckle-thrower having a pivotal and sliding connection with the lock and furnished with a shoulder adapted to engage a shoulder on the draw-head to tilt the same, said knucklethrower being provided with a bent hookshaped arm adapted to engage the tail of the knuckle and embrace and engage the safetyhook on the knuckle-tail to throw the knuckle open.

It further consists, in connection with the draw-head, knuckle, and locking-pin, of a knuckle-thrower slidably and pivotally connected with the lock and having a bent arm fitting under and engaging the tail of the knuckle to throw the knuckle open when the lockis lifted to the required extent, the slidable connection between the lock and kn ucklethrower permitting the lock to be lifted to the required extent to enable the knuckle to swing open without operating the knucklethrower and the pivotal connection between the knuckle-thrower and lock permitting the knuckle to tilt on the further movementof the lock, and thus throw the knuckle open.

My invention further consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combinationsof parts and devices herein shown or described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a car-coupler embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the lock in its raised position. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the locking-pin. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the knuckle-thrower. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the knuckle, partly in section. Fig. 8 is adetail cross-section of the knuckletail on line 8 8 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, A represents a draw-head of a Master Car-Builders coupler, having the customary guard-arm a and pivot-arm a.

B is the knuckle; C, the pivot-pin by which the knuckle is pivotally connected to the draw-head; D, the vertically-movable locking pin, and F is the knuckle-thrower pivotally and slidably connected to the locking-pin.

The bottom web or floor a of the draw-head is preferably furnished with a lock-set depression a to receive the lock-set ledge or shoulder cl on the lock-set leg d of the lock D and which projects downwardly from the lower end of the lock as an integral extension thereof. The lock-set leg 0K also has an incline d to engage the wall of the opening o in the web (0 of the draw-head, and thus swing the lower end of the lock slightly to one side when the lock is further lifted.

The knuckle B has its inner arm or tail 6 provided with a safety hook or projection 6, adapted to engage a cooperative hook or projection a on the draw-head to in part relieve the pivot-pin from strain when the knuckle is closed and to hold the knuckle in its closed position in case the pivot-pin should break or become displaced. The knuckle B is further provided with an inclined groove or guide 6 on the under side of the safety-hook b to adapt the same to properly cooperate with the knuckle-thrower F. The knuckle-thrower F has a pivotal or sliding connection with the lock D, this connection preferably consisting of an interengaging pivot f and slotted recess or way (Z the slotted recess being formed in one of the connected parts and the pivot on the other. I preferably form the pivot onthe knuckle-thrower F and the slotted recess in the lock D. The knuckle-thrower is thus pivotally suspended from the look, as well as slidably connected therewith. The knucklethrowerF has a bent arm or shoulderf, adapted to engage a shoulder a on the draw-head when the lock D and knuckle-th rower are lifted to the required extent, and thus cause the knuckle-thrower to be tilted by its further upward movement with the lock. The knuckle-thrower F has a bent arm f at its lower portion, preferably extending substantially horizontal and normally resting in a longitudinal recess or channel a in the bottom web or floor a of the draw-head and which is provided to receive this bent arm or part of the knuckle-thrower. The bent arm or foot f of the knuckle-thrower is provided with an upwardly-projecting toef, having an inclined and rounded upper face f and which toe is adapted to fit in and engage the inclined groove or way 6 formed in the lower face of the tail Z) of the knuckle B adjacent to the safety-hook b thereon.

As the lower bent arm or foot f and toe f of the knuckle-thrower F fits under or embraces the safety hook or projection b on the tail of the knuckle, it will be readily understood that the lock D, which is connected to the knuckle-thrower, cannot be entirely removed from the draw-head without first removing the pivot-pin G of the knuckle and taking out the knuckle itself. My knucklethrower F thus serves also as a means for preventing the removal of the locking-pin from the draw-head. This enables me to dispense with any pin or other device for limiting the upward movement 'of the lock D and correspondingly reduces the number of parts in the knuckle as a whole.

In operation to set the lock for uncoupling the sliding locking-pin D is simply lifted by the operating-lever G and connecting-clevis g until the lock is raised sufficiently to clear the tail of the knuckle, when the knuckle swings open, the lock-set projection of the lock-set leg of the lock then engaging the bot-- tom web or floor of the draw-head and holding the lock in this position until the cars separate. The look when thus supported in its lock-set position is also now ready for coupling when the cars are pushed together. In case the knuckle swings partially shut and it is desired to fully open the knuckle preparatory to coupling the cars together the brakeman simply further lifts the lock D by its 0perating-lever, and thus causes the knucklethrower F by engagement of its bent arm f with the draw-head to be tilted and the knuckle B to be thrown open by engagement of the lower bent arm or foot f and toe f of the knuckle-thrower with the tail of the knuckle and with its safety hook or projection b. When the knuckle happens to be in its closed position, with no car coupled thereto, and it is desired to open the knuckle ready for coupling and also set the lock in position for coup-- ling, the lock is first raised to its full extent, thus operating the knuckle-thrower and opening the knuckle, and then the lock is permitted to descend until its lock-set ledge engages its seat in the bottom web or floor of the drawhead, thus supporting the lock in position for coupling.

I claim 1. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, a knuckle and a verticallymovable gravity locking-pin, of a knucklethrower having a sliding and pivotal connection with the locking-pin, and provided with a bent arm or foot projecting under and engaging the tail of the knuckle to throw the same open when the lock is lifted to the required extent, said bent arm or foot by its projecting under the knuckle-tail also preventing the look from being removed from the draw-head substantially as specified.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, a knuckle and a verticallymovable gravity locking-pin, of a knucklethrower having a sliding and pivotal connec:

tion with the locking-pin, and provided with a bent arm or foot fitting under and engaging the tail of the knuckle to throw the same open when the lock is lifted to the required extent, said bent arm or foot by its projecting under the knuckle-tail also preventing the look from being removed from the draw-head substantially as specified.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, a knuckle and a verticallymovable gravity locking-pin, of a knucklethrower having a sliding and pivotal connection with the locking-pin, and provided with a bent arm or foot fitting under and engaging the tail of the knuckle to throw the same open when the lock is lifted to the required extent, and having an upwardly-projecting toe, substantially as specified.

4. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, of a pivoted knuckle having a safety-hook or projection on its tail, and an inclined groove or way between the tail of the knuckle and said safety-hook, a verticallysliding locking-pin and a knuckle-thrower having a pivotal and sliding connection with said locking-pin, and provided with a bent arm or foot furnished with a toe adapted to engage the knuckle-tail and its safety-hook, substantially as specified.

5. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, of a knuckle, a vertically sliding locking-pin having a lock-setleg provided with a lock-set ledge or projection adapted to engage the bottom web or floor of the draw-head, and a knuckle-thrower having a pivotal and sliding connection with the locking-pin and provided with a bent arm or shoulder adapted to engage the draw-head to tilt the knuckle-thrower when it is raised to the required extent, said knuckle-thrower being provided with a lower bent arm or foot engaging the tail of the knuckle, substantially as specified.

6. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, of a knuckle, a verticallysliding locking-pin having a lock-set leg provided with a lock-set ledge or projection adapted to engage the bottom web or floor of the draw-head, and a knuckle-thrower having a pivotal and sliding connection with the locking-pin and provided with a bent arm or shoulder adapted to engage the draw-head to tilt the knuckle-thrower when it is raised to the required extent, said knuckle-thrower being provided with a lower bent arm or foot fitting under and engaging the tail of the knuckle, substantially as specified.

7 In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, of a knuckle, a verticallysliding locking-pin having a lock-set leg provided with alock-set ledge or projection adapted to engage the bottom web or floor of the draw-head, and a knuckle-thrower having a pivotal and sliding connection with the locking-pin and provided with a bent arm or shoulder adapted to engage the draw-head to tilt the knuckle-thrower when it is raised to the required extent, said knuckle-thrower being provided with a lower bent arm or foot fitting under and engaging the tail of the knuckle, and having an upwardly-projecting toe adapted to engage the tail of the knuckle, and a safety hook or projection with which the tail of the knuckle is provided, substantially as specified.

8. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, of a knuckle, a verticallysliding locking-pin having a lock-set leg provided with a lock-set ledge or projection adapted to engage the bottom web or floor of the draw-head, and a knuckle-thrower having a pivotal and sliding connection with the locking-pin and provided with a bent arm or shoulder adapted to engage the draw-head to tilt the knuckle-thrower when it is raised to the required extent, said knuckle-thrower being provided with a lower bent armor foot fitting under and engaging the tail of the knuckle, and having an upwardly-projecting toe adapted to engage the tail of the knuckle, and a safety hook or projection with which the tail of the knuckle is provided, the tail of the knuckle and its safety hook or projection having an inclined groove or guide between them to receive the toe of the lower bent arm or foot of the knuckle-thrower, substantially as specified.

9. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, of a knuckle pivoted thereto, and having a tail furnished with a safetyhook to engage a hook projection or shoulder on the draw-head, a vertically-moving locking-pin having at its lower end a lock-set leg furnished with a lock-set projection, adapted to engage the bottom web or floor of the drawhead, and provided with a slotted recess near its upper end, and a knuckle-thrower having a pivot-lug fitting and adapted to slide in said slotted recess in the locking-pin, and furnished with a shoulder adapted to engage ashoulder on the draw-head to tilt the same, and with a bent hook-shaped arm adapted to engage the tail of the knuckle and embrace and engage the safety-hook thereon to throw the knuckle open, substantially as specified.

GUSTAF A. HERMANSON.

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, P. ABRAMs. 

